The Conduit of Zootopia
by Fenrir's Phantom
Summary: A Conduit wakes up in Zootopia after his apparent death; now he just has to figure out why.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Hope you all are doing well! I'm going to be writing this new story for two reasons.**

 **1: I've had to cut ties with the story I'd adopted, due to personal reasons. This is to help me cope with the loss.**

 **2: This is an idea I've had buzzing around in my head for a while. This is a completely separate story from Brick Walls with a completely different character; if you like, you can imagine that this happened before Marshall's arrival.**

 **Hope you all enjoy this new story!**

* * *

I rushed through the streets of Seattle, rain pelting down onto me from above. My hoodie was doing very little to keep me dry, but that was the least of my worries.

What was _really_ worrying me was the battalion of DUP behind me.

I continued to run as the APCs advanced, each of them full of soldiers who would happily beat me down in the name of 'public safety'.

"Bio-Terrorist! You are to cease and desist immediately!" A soldier in the lead APC ordered.

"Not likely!" I yelled back, ducking into an alley too narrow for them to follow. The APCs ground to a halt in front of the alley as I continued to run, the armed men inside now pouring out and giving chase on foot. I glanced back as several used their concrete powers to try and follow me from the rooftops.

I knew they were attempting to corner me; unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do as I came face-to-wall with a dead end. The DUP quickly formed a perimeter around me as I turned back and looked at them.

I closed my eyes for a moment as I pictured everyone who'd sacrificed everything to protect me - my father, locked up tight in the DUP's hands. My best friend, comatose in the hospital from protecting me from an angry mob. And my little sister... dead by the hands of the DUP, killed as she tried to stop my arrest.

I screamed in rage, my element swirling around me. I wasn't going to run anymore, I decided as I stared them down. I was going to fight to my last breath for what they'd done to me.

I leapt forward, attacking the closest soldier. The blow sent him staggering back as his visor cracked, his gun dropping as he lashed out at me. I sidestepped, then leapt onto him, knocking him onto his back and beginning to throttle him.

Seconds later, my world was full of pain as the rest riddled me with bullets, then filled with numb darkness as I fell to the ground.

* * *

I jerked upright, glancing around. The alley was completely empty, aside from a bunch of trash cans and dumpsters. I glanced down at myself, taking note of my undamaged body; wasn't I dying just a second ago?

Something else caught my eye; raising my hand, I stared in shock at the black fur covering my hand - which now looked more like a paw than a hand.

Scrambling over to a nearby puddle, I stared at my reflection in disbelief.

My eyes were a bright shade of green now, surrounded by more black fur. My mouth and nose had lengthened into a muzzle; my teeth had sharpened into those of a predator.

I sat back and stared up at the sky; what in the hell happened to me?

A sudden wave of energy washed over me, forcing me onto my back. Out on the street, just down the alley, people began to scream.

* * *

 **Okay guys, that's it for now! This was mostly to set up the story to follow.**

 **And now, a way for you guys to get involved! I'm having a hard time deciding what sort of element our Conduit friend will have; so, if you like, you can post a possible element in the reviews! I will pick either the element with the most votes, or an original element I find extremely compelling!**

 **Here's the list of potential powers:**

 **Fire**

 **Water**

 **Ice**

 **Heat**

 **Metal**

 **Stone**

 **Other (create your own!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! I've polled the votes and ideas you've all left me, and I have narrowed the choices down to two options:**

 **1: ice, which got 80% of the votes of all the listed elements.**

 **2: paper, an original idea I really liked. (If paper is chosen, I will make him different from Celia, don't worry)**

 **Please leave a review telling me which one you would like him to have; for now, however, please enjoy this new chapter!**

* * *

I jolted upright, glancing around the alley in panic. What the hell had just happened? What was with that energy blast?

Then the changes to the alley registered, and I stared around in shock.

The buildings were in ruins, barely standing anymore. Shattered glass, bricks, and chunks of stone were everywhere, and my clothes were covered in a thin layer of dust from a part of the building next to me collapsing; it was a miracle I hadn't been injured.

The end of the alley flashed with blue and red lights; apparently the police were investigating. Deciding a confrontation was the last thing I wanted right about now, but still curious, I carefully climbed up the side of the nearest building, using remaining ledges and the remains of a fire escape to reach what was left of the roof.

Carefully crouching on the ledge, I surveyed the damage - and was instantly horrified.

Whatever had set off that explosion had created a large crater in the middle of the street, with a single section left in the center that reminded me of a crude pedestal. the crater itself, meanwhile, was littered with what appeared to be charred corpses, each one blackened and unrecognizable. The police quarantining the area each looked like they were going to be sick as they saw what lay in the center.

And then one of the bodies moved.

I stared as a small form stood up and looked around; judging by the body shape, it was a small anthropomorphic fox; the black coloring seemed to be from all the soot in the air. Nobody seemed to notice until it- no, _she_ began to cry.

* * *

 **I know this chapter is short, but this is to act as an update and to introduce one of the characters I've created.**

 **Anyway, leave a review and let me know what you think of the story so far, and to leave a vote - Paper or Ice?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again, everyone! Happy Mother's Day!** **I'm happy to announce that the winning element has been chosen!**

 **It was a really close, with the two choices tying literally every other vote, but in the end, the chosen element won out by** ** _a single vote_** **.**

 **So anyway, hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

I continued to stare down at the crying little girl as the police slowly moved in; but, something about the crater seemed awfully familiar to me... where had I seen something like it before...?

I realized my answer seconds later - my school had done a short lesson on the first Conduits, and how they were created by a Ray Field blast. And the crater in what was left of Empire City looked exactly like what I was staring at.

And, if she survived the blast...

My suspicions were instantly confirmed as the young, soot-covered animal screamed again, the ground around her shaking as bits of stone flew into the air towards her. Unfortunately, this also undermined the buildings around her, causing them to begin to topple over.

My powers flickered to life as I rushed forward.

* * *

Leona looked up as she heard a loud rumbling; seeing the building falling towards her, she let out another scream and held her hands up to try and protect herself. The policemen around her panicked as well - right before there was a loud rustling noise and a _CRASH_.

Leona slowly opened her eyes again to see something truly amazing.

A young-looking panther - dressed in a grey hoodie and jeans - stood between her and the police officers, his arms spread and his eyes closed. What was so truly amazing was the fact that what seemed to be a city's worth of paper had formed a large dome around her and the policemen, somehow holding up the collapsed buildings.

Her eyes snapped back to the panther when he spoke.

"Unless you want to get crushed when I let this go, I suggest you all get out while you still can." The panther said, quickly jerking his head to the side to point out a large hole in the dome, big enough for an elephant to walk through.

The officers all rushed to the exit as Leona continued to stare in wonder. The panther opened one eye to look at her, then glanced at the barrier before making a decision.

He lowered his arms.

* * *

Outside, the officers stared in shock as the paper dome finally collapsed, the buildings finally hitting the pavement and throwing up a large amount of dust and debris. The girl and the panther were still in there! How could they have just left them in there!

At that moment, something white shot out of the dust cloud and straight past them, landing on the street. Amazingly, it was the panther - now with a pair of angelic wings made entirely of paper, with the soot-covered girl in his arms. He gently lay her down on the ground before falling backwards, the paper wings dissolving into individual sheets before somehow sinking into his body.

Seemingly too tired to stand, he glanced over at them all from his spot on the ground.

"Get her to safety..." He said through his panting. "I'll do my best to explain... Once I wake up..."

Seconds later, his eyes rolled back as he passed out from exhaustion.

* * *

 **Again, short chapter, I know, but today is a busy day for me - it's Mother's Day, after all - but this is also to help set up for later chapters. Leona will appear again, don't worry about her.**

 **Anyway, leave a review! Let me know what you think of the story!**


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up to the beeping of an EKG machine. Sitting upright, I found myself in a hospital bed, in a hospital gown, with my clothes sitting on a chair across the room. The young girl from the blast lay on the bed beside mine, also in a hospital gown, fast asleep.

I moved to get out from under the covers, only to find that someone had snapped a pair of handcuffs around my left hand and the bed railing, keeping me stuck in bed. I lay back down with a sigh, resigning myself to count the holes in the ceiling tiles above me as I waited.

I'd just reached hole number 134 when the door swung open, revealing a rabbit and a fox in police uniforms. The rabbit appeared to be the serious one of the pair, if the wary looks she gave me and the smug, apathetic smirk on the fox's face were any indication.

"So, mind telling me why, exactly, I'm chained to the bed?" I asked, shaking the handcuff.

"Chief Bogo insisted." The rabbit said, jumping up onto a nearby chair as the fox simply leaned against the wall and began scrolling through his phone, keeping the same smirk on his face the whole while.

"Was he one of the cops at the blast site?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because if so, he should know this won't hold me if I actually decided to leave."

"And how exactly are you going to get out of them?" The rabbit asked. "We're the only ones with the keys."

"Who said anything about a key?" I asked as a thin paper cone formed around my finger, causing the rabbit's eyes to widen as I picked the lock within a few seconds. I rubbed my wrist with a sigh of relief as the cuffs fell away and the fox looked up, showing actual interest in something other than his phone.

"That's better." I said, placing my hands behind my head and reclining again. "So, I take it you two are the ones here to question me?"

The rabbit simply stared at me, apparently still trying to figure out where I'd gotten the paper from. The fox, after a second, nodded.

"The reports said you were willing to explain." He said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"For starters, I feel like it's worth mentioning I'm not from... _here._ "

"So, what, you're an immigrant?" The fox asked, tilting his head.

"Not quite."

From there, I explained what had happened to me in Seattle, what happened to those around me as the DUP tried to 'bring me to justice', and what I suspected cause the blast in the street.

The rabbit and the fox simply stared at me as I finished my story. I sighed.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Nope." They said in unison.

* * *

 **Hello again! Hope you are all doing well.**

 **So, I'm going to have to ask you guys for one more thing: send your own OC. I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with other characters, so feel free to submit your own characters!**

 **The only rule about sending in a character is that they have to be a Zootopia native, and you'd have to list a few techniques they can use.**

 **Here's the setup:**

 **Name:**

 **Species:**

 **Common Clothing:**

 **Conduit** **Element:**

 **Element Usage (attacks, defenses, etc.):**

 **Personality:**

 **Backstory:**

 **And a bit of Trivia about them:**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again, guys! I'm happy to say that the first character to be chosen has been... well, chosen!**

* * *

I gave a tired sigh and sank into the pillows some more.

"Well, wether you believe me or not doesn't matter; whoever set off the ray field blast is to blame for what happened out there. At least it was just one."

"Actually..." The fox trailed off as the rabbit's radio sparked to life. My eyes widened.

"How many blasts?"

"Four." The rabbit answered, holstering her radio again before snapping another pair of handcuffs onto me and the bed again. "And we're still investigating the rest of them, so for now, you'll just have to wait here."

They rushed out of the room, answering the radio call as I got to work picking the new lock. I glanced over at the sleeping arctic fox, then got dressed and ducked out the door.

* * *

I watched from the rooftops as the pair asked a grocery store owner a few questions, the paramedics carefully removing a few dozen shards of green glass from his bleeding arm.

"So, tell us again, what exactly happened?" The rabbit - who was named Judy, according to her partner - asked, pen at the ready.

"I was trying to lock up my shop to protect it from looters, in case any were still around after the blasts yesterday." The shop owner said through pained pants. "Some guy was in the back, trying to steal some food. So, I told him to stop, and he freaking _shot glass_ at me! He was like, some kinda freak!"

"'Shot glass', you say?" The fox - named Nick - asked, glancing at his partner. Judy, however, had seemingly stopped paying attention to the story, and instead had her ears swiveling around as if trying to locate something. Seconds later, a brown-furred wolf shot out of a nearby alley and rushed down the road.

"That's him!" The shop owner shrieked, pointing a finger at the fleeing animal. "That's the freak!"

Nick and Judy were quick to give chase, though I followed him much more easily - especially when he created a pillar of green glass to launch himself up to the rooftops, away from them and towards me.

Upon seeing me, he panicked again for a moment and shot a series of glass shards at me. I quickly created a Paper Shield, which took the impacts instead.

"You're... like me?" The wolf asked hopefully, lowering his arm a bit. I peeked out from behind my shield.

"Yes I am, and I'd prefer it if you didn't try to shoot me again."

The wolf fully lowered his arm, allowing me to relax enough to re-absorb the shield and get a good look at him. The wolf wore a grey hoodie, not unlike mine - the only difference was the black stripes across the entire thing. Underneath it, he wore a plain white t-shirt and a pair of black shorts.

"I'm Johnny Howler." He said. "So... who are you?"

"Riley Jagger." I replied, kicking at the glass on the ground. I glanced behind me as I heard footsteps, and found Nick and Judy staring at me in surprise. I sighed. "And those... would be the cops who told me to stay in the hospital."

* * *

 **Johnny Howler, the glass Conduit; courtesy of Bearticguy7! Thanks, man!**

 **I'm still going to need some more characters, though - please, keep sending OCs!**

 **Also, note to the guest known as Natzi Sumbitch: I'm having trouble reading your character submission. Think you could send it as a PM?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! The characters are in, and now it's time to continue the story! Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

"What the heck were you thinking, leaving the hospital like that?!" Judy chewed me out as Johnny and I were brought down to the station. I looked at her in the rearview mirror and lifted my handcuffed hands to hold up two fingers.

"Because one: I was perfectly fine, and two: if there was more than one blast, there'd be more Conduits around. That's where I can help, since they'd most likely trust me much easier than a 'normal' police officer." Next to me, Johnny nodded, his eyes still darting around the car. Apparently, he wasn't too fond of being arrested. To be fair, though, neither was I. I kept having flashbacks to the last time... the time my sister tried to protect me... She was only twelve...

I managed to shake myself free and quickly pushed the thoughts away; I didn't need to remember what happened to her.

Roughly half an hour later, the two of us sat in a pair of holding cells; what they were holding me for, I didn't know. Contempt of authority or something? Johnny was in the cell next to me, where he was currently rocking back and forth on the steel bench in a small ball, muttering to himself that it'd be okay soon.

A buzzer sounded as the doors opened, startling both of us; Judy and Nick stood nearby with a giant bull standing behind them, his arms crossed.

"So..." the bull said, looking me up and down. "...you're the one who talked mister Howler over there down?"

"Not really 'talked', more 'convinced to trust', since we're both conduits." I said, lifting my hand and allowing a few sheets of paper to form into a small ball in my hand, which I then tossed to the cop - who, judging by his badge, was the police chief here.

"Conduits?" He said, glancing down at the ball, then at the sheets of paper now orbiting my open palm.

"A... _being_ , I guess you can say, who can absorb and manipulate some sort of element." I explained. "a Conduit's powers also evolve in response to how they're used; if someone uses them to simply restrain enemies instead of killing them, their abilities become more defensive and slightly less physically harmful. Killing, on the other hand, will cause them to become more offensively based and become more efficient at destroying foes."

"And your element...?"

"Paper, obviously. The living lump over there controls glass." I added, the paper sinking back into my body as I jerked a thumb in Johnny's direction. The wolf apparently hadn't moved other than his rocking, too lost in his anxiety to notice anything.

"Well, I hope he likes that cell." The chief said, straightening. "He's going to be there a while on theft and assault charges."

"Whoa whoa, hold on!" I protested, hopping to my feet. "Yes, he tried to steal, but it was only some food - which meant he was hungry! Anyone would have done the same in that situation!"

"He still shot the shopkeeper with glass."

"Because he was scared! I mean, just look at him! He looks like he's having a breakdown right now!"

"And?" The chief raised an eyebrow. I was quiet for a few seconds.

"Alright, how about we make a deal?" I said, looking him in the eye. "You let him go free, and we'll both help you track down any more conduits who cause trouble. Deal?"

The chief stared down at me, though I could see the gears turning in his head. I was able to peacefully resolve a situation involving a glass-manipulating unknown-factor, but at the same time, I was just as much of an unknown; I was fairly positive either Judy or Nick had told him about my lockpicking, too.

"Fine." He finally grunted, turning and walking out of the cell before turning and fixing me with a stern glare. "But if you try anything..."

"You got it sir, no funny business." I said, straightening up and saluting. The bull turned to the other two officers in the room.

"Hopps, Wilde - you two are in charge of them." He said before brushing past them to exit the room.

The two cops glanced at each other as I stepped out of my own cell and enter Johnny's to try and convince him that everything was okay.

* * *

 **Alright, there we go! Another chapter down! To ActionTReaction and FireFox14, don't worry - your OCs will show up soon!**

 **Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and don't worry - more to come soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys! Thought it was about time I posted another chapter for this story; time for another OC introduction!**

* * *

Johnny and I scouted around another blast site as Nick and Judy watched from the edge of the crater.

"Find anything?" Nick called down.

"Not yet! Still looking!"

We were looking around for some sort of clue as to who or what had set off the bombs; the police hadn't been able to find anything so far, but the hopes were that us Conduits would be able to find something. Granted, we were both being watched like hawks by the two cops, but it certainly beat sitting in a cell.

"Find anything?" Nick called down again.

"Not yet- wait a minute." Everyone turned to look at me as I lifted a chunk of pulverized pavement, the dying light glinting off of a piece of metal lying underneath.

The scrap of metal in question was actually rather unimpressive - just looked like part of someone's car. What made it so interesting was what lay on top of it.

"Why is it glowing?" Johnny asked as I held up a blast shard.

"Welp, this is certainly a find." I said, looking it over before tossing it to Nick. "Keep that safe, and don't let anything electrical get anywhere near it."

"What?" He asked, confusedly staring at the purple rock in his hands.

"That thing can power-up Conduits if they try to absorb it, but for now, I'd say lock it up. With who-knows-how-many Conduits running around, some of them won't take kindly to authority and would love to get their hands on it."

Hearing my explanation, Judy grabbed it and rushed it to the cruiser Johnny and I had followed to this area.

She'd just opened the door when a beam of green energy blasted the ground next to her, leaving a burning hole and causing Judy to leap for cover, Nick diving behind the car as another burst of energy struck the ground near him.

A third attack was shot at me, but I created a paper barrier - which was no help at all, as it punched straight through it and struck me, sending me staggering backwards. Johnny tried his own shield, which managed to deflect the shot at the cost of slagging his glass barrier. Absorbing a stack of newspaper from a nearby shop, I rushed forward, my paper wings forming behind me as I launched myself into the air. Unfortunately, another shot burned them off - and singed my back - sending me into the side of the attacker's building and crashing back to the ground.

A burst of energy alerted me to his movements as he leapt from the rooftop and down to the street, appearing as a green beam until he reformed and fell the last few feet to the ground.

He was some sort of catlike predator, with tan-ish fur and what looked like a black mane, though it was hard to see from my angle. He wore a black hoodie-vest, with a blue t-shirt underneath it and a pair of track pants. Snatching the dropped blast shard, he moved to try and escape - only to get a blast of glass shards to the face, courtesy of Johnny.

I rushed him from behind and tackled him before he could fire a beam at the wolf, sending us both crashing into the side of the car and forcing him to drop the shard.

He got up and clocked me, sending me into the ground before Johnny jumped on his back, slashing at him with a set of glass claws before a blast of green knocked him off, his clothes smoldering before he absorbed a store window and jumped back to his feet.

The mystery-Conduit went to grab it again - only for Nick to dive for it again, rolling to his feet and taking off. The Conduit raised his hand, energy gathering before I hit him with a Paper Blast, causing him to stagger and the shot to go wide. Turning, he prepared to shoot me again - only for his eyes to roll back before he slumped to the ground.

Judy stood behind him, an empty tranquilizer gun in her shaking hands as she looked at the dart sticking out of the conduit's back. Nick carefully walked back over as I leaned against the side of the cruiser, panting.

"Case... in... point." I wheezed; I hated fighting conduits. "Just to be safe, though... do you have... some sort of cuff... that will cover his hands?"

* * *

 **So, hope you all enjoyed this new chapter - now with actual combat! Lemme know what you think in the reviews!**

 **Also, for ActionTReaction - was this what you had in mind for your OC?**


	8. Chapter 8

It turns out they did have full-hand cuffs, to help restrain any criminals who might hurt themselves en route to a cell. Completely encircling the snoozing Conduit's hands, Johnny and Judy placed him in the back of the vehicle and locked it as Nick inspected the Blast Shard again.

"So, why should I keep this away from electricity?" He asked.

"What?" was my intelligent reply, not expecting the question.

"Before laser-hands over there attacked; you said keep it away from electricity. Why?"

"According to a few studies I've heard about, electrically charging a Blast Shard without a Conduit around to absorb the energy will make it go boom." I said with a shrug.

"How big of a 'boom' are we talking here?"

In response, I jerked my thumb towards the big crater in the street.

* * *

James Rokit sat up with a groan, raising a hand to rub his pounding head - only to find both his hands encased in metal. He looked around, noting how he was in what looked like a police interrogation room - nothing but a table, a few chairs, and a mirror (which he knew was one-way glass) along one of the walls.

He glanced at the door, remembering what had happened; the police - who he'd thought had been a few thugs dressed up as cops, apparently he was wrong - had been forcing those two Conduits to dig for something in the crater that had given him his Plasma powers. When he'd seen the paper one toss that glowing rock to the fox, he knew he had to get it; whatever they'd been planning couldn't have been good.

The door opened a few seconds later, revealing three figures: the rabbit and the fox from the blast site, and a hulking buffalo he recognized as Chief Bogo. He leaned back in his chair as they all sat down in theirs.

"So..." Bogo began, eyeing him. "...mind telling me why you attacked two of my best officers?"

* * *

I watched as they talked from behind the 'mirror', the Conduit - identified by Judy as an 'Iberian Lynx' (as weird as it sounded; why not _Siberian_?) - simply sat back and gave calm answers to each of their questions, the cops becoming more irritated by the second - apparently he wasn't telling them anything.

Deciding I might as well help out, I turned and walked out the door, heading over to the same entrance the other three had while Johnny stayed behind to watch.

upon seeing me, the Iberian Lynx's eyes narrowed.

"I come in peace, relax." I said, dragging another chair into the room and sitting down, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. "Of course, you didn't seem to be in a peaceful mood when you attacked us a few hours ago."

"I wasn't going to let them keep using Conduits like tools." He grunted.

"Tools?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about? Johnny and I volunteered for this. Well, technically, I volunteered us both to get Johnny out of a prison sentence, but still - he was fine with it."

"So you're a criminal?"

"Me? No. Johnny isn't either, in my eyes - he was starving, he needed something to eat. Store manager surprised him and he panicked. Ended up with a few pieces of glass in his arm, but he's fine."

The Lynx remained silent, still glaring at me. I sighed.

"At least tell us why you tried to steal the Blast Shard?"

"What, the glowing rock?" He asked, his irritation giving way to confusion. "I was just trying to get it away from you guys."

"You nearly fried Nick when he ran off with it." I pointed out.

"Because he was using you to dig for that thing! I wasn't just going to let him run off with it!"

"We were searching for clues to try and figure out who set off the blasts, not to loot the place. What the hell did you think was happening?"

The Lynx's face turned sheepish as he realized how much he'd screwed up.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait everyone, but I had a ton of paperwork to do - I recently signed up to be a rec camp councilor in my town, so I didn't have much time.**

 **Now, I know this is mostly shameless filler, but hey - at least we finally found out who the mystery Conduit was! Say hello to ActionTReaction's James Rokit, everyone!**

 **Also, ActionTReaction - was this close to what you had in mind for him, personality-wise?**

 **Anyway, hope you all liked this chapter. More will come soon!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Sorry its taken so long to post another chapter, but with my senior year of high school close to ending it's getting a bit hectic; I have to finish placement testing before the 15th, I have several assignments due... Yeah, it's not fun.**

 **I might not be able to write for a while over the summer either, since my family is going on vacation and my new job as a rec camp councilor. Thankfully, it's just in the mornings, so I'll have free afternoons.**

* * *

They placed James in a cell once the interrogation was over; they'd give him the same deal as us once he was ready, but for now it was still just Johnny and I. And right now, we were investigating the reports of a possible Conduit.

I flew down and killed my momentum with a few casual steps, my paper wings flying apart as I absorbed them again. Johnny jumped down from above, having followed me from the rooftops - apparently he wasn't very comfortable with transforming into a mass of glass shards to move around, so he opted to run instead.

"Remind me what we're doing here again?" He asked, taking a deep breath and looking around. Clearly, he wasn't comfortable with this area.

"According to the police reports, there might be a conduit around here. This place is known gang territory, so I'm hoping to get them out of here before they piss off the wrong people."

Johnny nodded, looking a bit worried now as we returned to the search.

There were definite signs of a Conduit around this area - several things were scorched, several sections of the road looked like they'd been melted... definitely the work of a fire or smoke Conduit.

Johnny was looking at a gang insignia burned into a wall when I was suddenly blasted from behind, sending me flying forward. My head smashed through a car's windshield, which Johnny was quick to absorb as our attacker revealed himself.

He was a short weasel, but that didn't seem to make him any less dangerous. Red energy swarmed around his arms as he smirked at us.

"This is Red territory; mind telling me why you're here, bro?" The conduit asked, tilting his head.

"Looking for conduits like you" was my answer, absorbing a few loose pieces of paper to make my point and to heal the few cut's I'd just received. His eyes narrowed as the air around him began to shimmer, the temperature rising.

"I already told that fat bastard, I'm not going to join his little Conduit gang. Get lost."

"Wait, what?" I asked, confused - right before a blast of red energy streaked toward my head. Thankfully, Johnny was able to protect me with a shield of glass, which began glowing red as the blast struck; this guy's element was heat itself!

This would be tough.

Johnny left his melting shield behind as he rushed forward, a glass claw forming around his hand before he was knocked away with a punch from the heat conduit. I created a large, origami sword and charged him, though it turned black and began to burn the second it got close to him - the heat was too intense for my paper to handle. I jumped back as he swung again, Johnny attempting to flank him as I looked around for something I could use.

I was forced to jump back again as another blast of heat struck the ground near my feet.

"I told your boss already, leave me alone! I don't want to be part of his stupid 'utopia'!"

"What the hell are you-"

Johnny interrupted me as he charged forward with a roar, managing to scratch the weasel's cheek before being forced back by the high temperatures - which seemed to be climbing higher and higher, as the asphalt around his feet began to bubble.

By now, the two of us were sweating like crazy - it felt like we were in a furnace right now! - while the weasel looked absolutely fine with the artificial heatwave. He didn't seem very fine with his wound, however, and scowled at us before firing a large blast of heat at me.

The blast temporarily blinded me as I shielded my face with my arms and my body a wall of paper, which quickly burned away to ash as Johnny shouted in pain.

When I was able to uncover my face, the heat conduit was gone and Johnny was nursing a sprained ankle. I helped him up and moved him over to a nearby car, where he healed himself with the glass as I thought about the heat conduit's words.

A 'fat bastard' was recruiting conduits to try and create some kind of 'utopia' - and knowing how radical some conduits could get, that was anything but good.

* * *

 **I know this wasn't the best chapter I've ever written, but it's something, right? Besides, this plays into the storyline - see if you can guess who the final boss will be.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter and of any ways I might be able to improve the fight scene (aside from making it longer, I know it's short).**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, long time no see! Sorry its taken so long to get back into the swing of things, but once high school lets out I should be able to write a lot more often.**

 **Also, I have received several other OCs since the first chapter; while I do enjoy your ideas, guys, I kinda have all the heroes I need... but if you like you can try sending in an evil conduit, or simply rewrite your OC to make them more villainous; I need a few more enemies right now! Besides, who knows; they might have a change of heart sometime down the road...**

 **Anyway, on with the chapter!**

* * *

We'd told Bogo about what the heat conduit had mentioned once we'd returned to the station, which seemed to disturb him - the police forces had already had to break up several anti-conduit rallies, and the potential for a 'Conduit army' would drive them crazy. Thus, he decided to restrict the information for now in order to prevent the anarchy that would follow such a report.

Instead, he asked us to search some more, try to find some more evidence, and if possible a location, or even a name.

James had also decided to join the group, having been given the same deal and accepting it to _make up for his mistakes_ , according to him. We all traveled around the city as much as we could, trying to find any more conduits or clues about the 'fat bastard' the heat conduit had mentioned. unfortunately, we didn't find anything while out on patrol.

Once we'd returned to the station, however, we received some news - a weasel matching the description we gave of the heat conduit was found murdered in a deserted area of Tundra Town, with most of the ice and snow surrounding the body having vanished mysteriously... almost as if it had become so hot it melted. I opted to head down to the morgue and take a look, both as a prime witness and because Johnny opted out, saying he didn't think his stomach could handle seeing a corpse.

I took one look and instantly recoiled - whoever had killed the poor guy had really done a number on him. Numerous slashes and puncture wounds were evident across his body, the killing blow having been several holes in his throat; he'd bled out in seconds.

Returning from the morgue, I made a quick stop at the restroom to empty my stomach before rejoining the group.

"It's him." I said, certain my face was bright green under the black fur. "Whoever did it's most likely a conduit... we're pretty tough, so you'd have to deal a lot of damage in a short amount of time to kill us." I paused to take a few deep breaths, trying to get my stomach back under control.

"His element was heat... was there anyone admitted to a hospital with severe burns?" Judy suggested. I shook my head.

"Conduits can heal by absorbing their elements; assuming he did get hit, he could heal himself if he found a suitable source. And even then, Conduits have an advanced healing factor - if we wait long enough, almost anything will heal on its own."

Judy frowned as everyone did their best to think up other ways of trying to find the culprit - though we were all distracted as a loud BOOM shook the entire precinct.

* * *

 **I know it's not much, but I have a lot on my plate right now and can't spare too much time; so, for now, I'm stuck making shorter chapters like this. Once I'm free, however, I should be able to make them longer.**

 **Anyway, like I said before: if possible, send in some villainous conduits! I'm in need of a few.**

 **Until next time, guys!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! Sorry it took a few months to get back to writing, but I have excuses: not having a computer of my own, work, preparation for college, laziness, and trying to think up some more story events.**

 **Anyway, at least I can say I'm back!**

 **Also, just to remind you guys that the OC submission is closed for now; I might open it up again later, but I have all the characters I need right now. Thank you to everyone who submitted a character!**

* * *

Out in an old warehouse on the outskirts of Savanna Central, several Conduits were meeting around a large table up in the office above the warehouse floor.

Sitting at the far end of the table was an arctic fox, a bored scowl on his face as he leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed. Beside him was a snow leopard, more preoccupied with her phone than anything else as she chewed noisily on a piece of gum.

Further up the table was a raccoon, the youngest animal there - however, the stone-cold stares she gave everyone let them know she was not one to be trifled with. Across from her sat a large polar bear, sitting quietly as he stared at the animal at the head of the table - a large ram, dressed in a business suit with larger-than-normal horns.

"Mimi, pay attention!" The ram snapped, the snow leopard rolling her eyes before putting her phone down, though she blew a bubble in his direction with her gum. "Now then... Unfortunately, you all were the only ones who seemed to share the same ideas as me - a Conduit utopia, where all 'normal' animals are gone and all conduits can live in peace."

He stood up, pacing around the table.

"We've all seen the reports about thieving, murdering conduits and the havoc they've wreaked - they have no place in our utopia. Therefore, once we wipe this city clean of any 'normals', we can focus on hunting them down. In the meantime, however, we must discuss a potential problem: the 'Origami Angel', as the public have taken to calling him. He has been trying to show how Conduits and normal animals can work together - but we all know that will fail in the long run."

He returned to the head of the table.

"But still, despite the fact the police refuse to tell the public his name, this 'Origami Angel' has still managed to gain the public's trust, as well as begin recruiting conduits to help him spread his foolish ideals. However, he seems to have mastered his powers, and will likely try to stop us should he learn of our plans. Therefore, he will be our first priority - kill the 'Origami Angel', and then we can focus on our plan in earnest."

* * *

We all quickly rushed to the lobby, wondering what the hell was going on, and stopped in shock at what we saw. The entire lobby of the ZPD precinct was in ruins, with many animals wounded... and a few staying horrifyingly still.

"Someone call an ambulance!" I yelled as I rushed over to the nearest wounded and began placing pieces of paper on his wounds, trying to soak up the blood covering his chest. The animal groaned, which I took as a good sign; if he could feel pain, he was still conscious.

The officers who'd sustained minor injuries or had just arrived to see what all the commotion was about began doing their best to help those injured in the blast; several detectives tried scouring the area or interviewing those still able to talk for clues as to who or what had done this.

When the ambulances arrived, they took one look before opening their doors and beginning to apply medical treatment to the wounded. I backed off as several paramedics rushed over to check the animal's wounds, but my eyes widened as I saw Clawhauser's large body being carried away on a stretcher. He was the one who'd told me when the public had named me the 'Origami Angel', the one who'd shared his secret stash of sugary snacks with me whenever I got back.

"Who... who could have done something like this?" Judy asked, horrified, staring around.

"I honestly have no idea." I said, clenching my fists. "But when I find out who's responsible... I will make them pay."

* * *

 **Sorry the chapter's not as long as I wanted it to be, but don't worry - there's more to come! Besides, this introduced the villains, so that's something - right?** **Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to write some more soon - I begin another rec camp job on Monday.**

 **Also, wish me luck - I'm heading off to college on the 27th!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Heya! Sorry it took so long to put the pen to digital paper, but the first few weeks of college have been a bit tough... not to mention my cat was hit and killed by a car just last week... Rest in peace, Mika.**

 **Anyway, since I finally had some free time, I managed to get this chapter written! Don't worry, the story's not dead!**

* * *

It had been almost a week since the precinct explosion. So far, all the detectives were able to discover was that it was a mail bomb... addressed to _me_. Fortunately-but-unfortunately, the box had been dropped while being brought into the building, and accidentally setting it off early. Most of the officers were hospitalized, but had high chances for survival. Not all of them were lucky, however... Clawhauser was in critical condition, though he was rather stable last time we checked up on him.

Also, remember when I said that a lot of animals were calling me the Origami Angel? Well, it turns out some other animals had a few different nicknames for me. ' _Freak_ ', for example, or ' _monster_ '. I usually ignored them, and Nick and Judy were quick to take down a guy who tried to stab me with a switchblade when I didn't respond to his insults. As far as they could tell, he'd been trying to get a rise out of me in order to show that I was apparently evil.

The two officers, along with Johnny and James, had all been willing to support me as we continued hunting for the one responsible for the mail bomb. The forensics team had been able to find a few pieces of metal shrapnel, but the box the bomb had come in had unfortunately been incinerated in the blast. They had, however, discovered the shrapnel pieces all had trace amounts of chemicals covering them, which meant they had all come from an old chemical-storage warehouse on the outskirts of Savanna central that had been shut down after an accident and never re-opened.

With any luck, we'd find some clues there.

All three of us Conduits entered the building through a skylight Johnny had opened for us by absorbing it. Nick, Judy, and several other officers were entering the building from the street level entrances; if someone was in here, they'd have a hell of a hard time getting out.

We swept the top floor, looking for anyone present, as the cops did the same thing one floor below. Unfortunately, nobody had found anyone... Though the cops were quick to seal off a room after they discovered two more partially-constructed mail bombs. These ones didn't seem to have been completed, but they decided to call in the bomb squad anyway just in case.

Once the squad had made sure the bombs wouldn't go off, the cops swept the room... and found one wall completely fill of pictures of me and several other animals. Several notes they'd also found indicated that every animal in the pictures was an activated Conduit, as well as the odds of recruiting them... for what, the notes didn't say. Several pictures and notes about a few conduits, however, read 'recruited' or 'pending'. The ZPD resolved to find out more about those being listed as 'recruited'; my 'file', however, was the only one labeling me as 'unrecruitable' and said that I should be killed on sight.

Upon finding this, the ZPD offered me something akin to witness protection, but I refused - I wanted to find the one responsible for this. I also pointed out that I'd also become something akin to bait - anyone who attacked me was likely involved in this somehow. They disliked the idea, but I was eventually able to convince them to go along with it, at least for a little while. As a compromise, however, they insisted that I be moved into a police safehouse, which would remain under guard 24-7.

Johnny and James both decided they like their new home; considering their own homes had been destroyed in the blast - at least, from what they told me - they were happy to just have a roof over their heads again.

* * *

The ram growled in displeasure as he thought about all the information he'd been forced to leave behind. His allies had all evacuated to their backup HQ, an old fish cannery in Tundra Town.

The raccoon conduit had been the one to warn them all of the ZPD's approach; her connections had made information gathering for his purposes easy. The polar bear also seemed to share his ideals the strongest; his conviction combined with his fighting prowess and powers made him a valuable ally. The arctic wolf was also a good enforcer, his powers easily able to defeat anyone who tried to stand up against him, despite his lack of technique. The same went for the snow leopard, though she was undoubtedly the most disobedient out of them all.

 _No matter,_ he thought as he shook his head, turning to a beat-up panther tied to a chair with a series of wires, _I'll deal with her later_. For now, he had more pressing matters to attend to... like getting this smoke-controlling little brat named Ash to talk.

* * *

 **Alright, this seems like a good update, don't you agree? The plot thickens...**

 **Also, FireFox14 - Ash Blaken has arrived!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Heya! My computer is still a piece of junk, but at least it works well enough for this. My only problems with it are that it somehow got stuck in airplane mode and I had to restart the whole thing, not to mention how it doesn't seem to like the internet around here a whole lot. The fact a bunch of idiots are also keeping me up at night by screaming at each other in the dorm hallways isn't helping me either.**

 **Well, at least I have enough energy to write this chapter, right?**

* * *

I waited in the safehouse, simply flipping through the TV channels as I waited for Nick and Judy to get back to us. They'd promised to send us information regarding anyone who might be involved in the bombing... and they also had suspicions that whoever was behind that bombing might also be behind the ray sphere blasts, due to the wall of suspected Conduits. James and Johnny passed the time playing cards with each other as I eventually settled on a newly-released movie called 'Pig Hero 6'. Certainly seemed interesting.

A few hours later, and the dynamic duo finally returned with a manila folder in hand. Each of us stopped what we were doing and gathered around the table as they began laying out the information.

"Forensics swept the rooms for prints." Judy began, showing us several animal prints. "So far, they've been able to determine one raccoon, one snow leopard, one wolf, and one polar bear. They're still combing through some of the other prints; they found some odd ones."

"Odd how?" I asked, taking the picture of the bear's paw print on the table in the 'bomb room.'

"Like the person who left them had some kind of covering on their hands and feet." Nick said, showing us a few pictures. He was right, they did look odd. The potential footprints looked like the one who left them had been wearing a horseshoe or something, judging by the marks left behind; the hand prints had similar markings.

"Only one of the prints so far has actually been positively identified." Judy added, pulling out a file with a picture of the raccoon's prints clipped to the front. "They belong to a known underground information broker known as 'Esus' - any other name, alias, or description is unknown. Wanted in connection with multiples murders, armored car robberies, and government hackings."

"Anything else?" James asked. "What about the bombs?"

"All made from parts you'd find lying around a chemical storage factory." She said, showing us a picture of one of the explosives. "Shards of metal, pipes, reactive chemicals, and so on. Nothing could be traced, though the prints left behind on the devices showed that the polar bear was the one making them."

"Alright, so these guys are professionals - they're hiding their tracks really well." I said, mulling over the information. "What about the pictures on the wall? Any luck tracking them down?"

"So far, no." Nick replied, frowning. "Every animal in those pictures disappeared within the last few weeks before the factory raid."

"Except for one." Judy added, pulling out... a picture of the arctic fox I'd saved a month ago. "Leona Bethers, 14 years old. Currently she's in police custody, just in case these bombers decided to go after her. So far, though, she hasn't really talked to anyone... and she says she'll only talk to you, Riley."

"She did?" I asked, surprised. "Then let's go, we need all the information we can get!"

* * *

Two agonizingly slow days later, and Bogo had cleared me for visitation. Johnny and James opted to stay behind, since they didn't know her and there wasn't much need for them there.

I was escorted by Nick and Judy to Leona's safehouse. At the door, we were greeted by another officer, who waved us on through. Leona was sitting at the kitchen table when we walked in, watching a few floating pebbles orbit each other above her palm. She looked up as I pulled up a chair and sat down alongside Nick and Judy.

"You... you were the one who saved me." She said simply, staring at me as the stones continued to orbit.

"That's right." I said, nodding. "And you had told them I was the only one you'd talk to. So, if you don't mind, I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

Leona glanced over at the cops before giving a small nod.

"So... were you ever approached by anyone following the blast? Possibly mentioning anything about a 'Utopia'?"

"Once." She replied. "I was still in the hospital when a ram walked up to me. He said he was part of a group seeking to create a utopia for... people like me." She glanced down at the floating rocks as she said that.

"He said that only people with powers would be allowed to be in this 'utopia', and that any others would be 'taken care of'. I didn't want any part of it, though, but I was scared of what he might do to me if I said no... so I told him I'd think it over."

"Has this ram tried to contact you since? Did he give you any way to contact him?"

"No. He said he'd know when I made my choice."

I glanced over at Nick and Judy, the latter of which was recording everything on her carrot-pen recorder.

"Well... unless anyone else has any more questions, that's all I've got." I said standing up.

"Okay." She said, still staring at the stones... before looking up at me. "Thank you for saving me. I never got to say that before you left."

I smiled back at her. "You're welcome."

* * *

 **Alrighty then, what did you guys think? Good, not good? Let me know!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi guys! Just letting everyone know I'm not dead, and neither is this story! And to the guest reviewer who kept posting that I should continue writing: thanks for the interest! It means a lot to me!**

* * *

Ash Blaken spit up a wad of blood as the polar bear slugged him again, this time across the face. The panther's body was bruised and battered, a special drug their boss had given him temporarily knocking out his healing factor and his smoke powers in order to make the interrogation effective.

"Come on, Ash." The raccoon said calmly, standing a short distance away with a passive expression on her face and her arms crossed. "We know you've been spying on us; we just want to know who put you up to it."

"I... told you..." Ash murmured. "Nobody... put me... up to it..."

The polar bear frowned and raised his fist again, causing Ash to spit up another wad of blood. He growled in pain and anger.

"Ash." The raccoon said simply as she came closer, staring down at him. "Either you tell us what we want to know, or-"

Before she could finish, Ash's head shot up and he spat in her eye, catching her by surprise. She recoiled in irritation and disgust as the polar bear rushed him. Ash's whole body dissolved into smoke moments before the bear's fist smashed the chair to splinters; said smoke drifted through a ceiling vent as the raccoon hissed in anger.

Ash reformed on the roof, noting how difficult using his powers felt right now; the drug as still in his system, making things difficult for him. He coughed up a little more blood a second later; he knew it wouldn't take long before they'd come after him; he had to move fast. But unless he healed, he would likely get caught again.

He swiftly scanned his surroundings, searching for anything he could use. Unfortunately, there was nothing flammable nearby, so far as he could see... wait, there was some old paper!

He dove for the newspaper sheets floating in the wind, thanking whatever deity was looking out for him that it came right when he needed it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small lighter, swiftly setting the pages alight and absorbing the smoke. Little by little, his wounds began healing.

His ears twitched as he heard a sound before diving to the side, a beam of light lancing through the space he'd previously occupied. The beam struck the ground below and quickly burned its way through the dirt and grass, leaving a smouldering scorch mark. Twisting, he was able to dissipate into smoke moments before the white fox on the edge of the roof blasted another light beam, again burning a hole in the ground. Ash's smoky form rushed the wolf, who was still preparing for another blast. He managed to reform in time to land a kick to the fox's stomach, causing the light conduit to grunt in surprise as he sailed off the roof. Not taking the time to watch the impact, Ash turned back into smoke and made a rush for the street, the fox giving chase moments later, still firing beams of light.

* * *

"What do you mean, ' _he got away_ '!" The ram demanded, yelling at the cowering arctic fox over the phone. "With him on the loose, we've got to move our whole operation _again_!"

"Look boss, I'm sorry, alright!" The fox snapped back, scowling. "I'm still getting used to this whole light-bending thing, and I ran outta juice before I could get him!"

"Enough with the excuses, Hal!" The ram yelled. "Either get your furry ass back here to help us clear out, or you're going to be the next one tied to a chair! This time at the bottom of the ocean!" The call abruptly ended. Hal North gave a sigh that was equal parts resignation and anger before turning and heading back to the compromised cannery.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Ash found himself in the ZPD headquarters, sitting across a table from Chief Bogo himself and the one known as the Origami Angel.

"So, what you're saying is, you were spying on these 'utopia-ists' after receiving an offer to join them, and they caught you before you somehow managed to escape?" The chief asked.

"Yes sir."

"And how do we know you're not just some sort of double-agent?" Bogo pointed out.

"Because I can give you some information on their boss."

This certainly caught their attention.

"He's a ram, controls wires. Wears some sort of weird horseshoe-like wire glove on his hands and feet at all times." Ash said, thinking back. "I didn't get a lot on why he's doing this, but I remember one of them mentioning his name was... I think they said 'Pratt'."

"Wait... you don't mean Henry Pratt, do you?" The Origami Angel spoke up, even more attentive now. Ash shrugged.

"I never got his first name. Who's Henry?" The panther across the table frowned and sighed.

"Someone from my past."

Bogo looked between the two of them before ending the interview, telling the policemen at the door to make sure Ash didn't leave.

* * *

"So... who's Henry Pratt?" Bogo asked in another interview room, Nick and Judy at his side.

"I told this to those two before, I'll say it again - I came from a different dimension or something." I replied, frowning. "Somehow, I died there, and ended up here. But that's not important right now - if this 'Pratt' is Henry Pratt, then we've got a big problem."

"How big?" Judy asked.

"Back home, he was wanted in connection with multiple murders and terrorist attacks." I explained. "He approached me at one point and offered me a place in the 'utopia' he had planned. A place where only conduits lived, and any others were kicked out or killed. He religiously believed that Conduits were the next stage of evolution, and that those who couldn't evolve fast enough shouldn't exist. The man's a genocidal maniac, and a strong conduit to boot. If he's here, we're going to have some major problems."

* * *

 **Hey, the villain was finally formally introduced! Yay for progress!**

 **Also, just for future notice: I will not leave this story to die. I may leave it alone for long periods of time, but I will not abandon it.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter!**


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